te re ke ta
te-re and ta were
explained in the technique section. Now we just have to add
ke. ke is made on the
large head with the fingers slightly apart and it is a
crisp, closed sound. Firstly the fingertips contact with
the head and quickly the fingers follow to make a sharp
sound, not a flat sound. The whole arm moves as one with a
locked wrist and locked elbow and the strength comes from
the shoulder.
The four beats are to be played slowly in the same time and
once the student is proficient, the speed can be doubled,
and then quadrupled.
But remember that in all practice, slow is best and speed
will work against you. The rule is to only practice as fast
as you can think about what you are doing, in order to make
sure that your technique is correct at every step. Each
stroke needs to be done with that particular technique in
mind while saying aloud the syllable pertaining to that
stroke.
Twenty minutes is sufficient for a practice session once or
twice a day. You will achieve more by practicing a little
each day than practicing a lot on one day and missing a few
days before again practicing.
I'll be uploading more lessons as soon as the opportunity
presents itself.